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Hi Folks, I'm considering a 2007 530xi and am looking for some input on the following:

1) are 255HP/220 torque enough to handle 3,600 lbs?...the next step up would be the 550 V8 w/360HP, but it doesn't come with 4x4...
2) with the iDrive, there's a single point of failure, so if the chip fails, no cd, no radio, nav, no computer info, etc...any known issues with this?
3) will the xDrive enable me to use all-season tires as opposed to switching between summer & winter?

Thx

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The more expensive the car, the cheaper the spare parts should be !

1) of course it is, well at least i think so. my buddy's corrado came stock with 178hp and it weighs like 3,800lbs. 255hp may seem low compared to more modern cars but its all dependent on the gearing of the tranny/diff and if it is fwd/rwd/awd! but again this all comes down to personal preference.

2) not sure

3) nothing can substitute a good set of winter tires.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockblock

Hi Folks, I'm considering a 2007 530xi and am looking for some input on the following:

1) are 255HP/220 torque enough to handle 3,600 lbs?...the next step up would be the 550 V8 w/360HP, but it doesn't come with 4x4...
2) with the iDrive, there's a single point of failure, so if the chip fails, no cd, no radio, nav, no computer info, etc...any known issues with this?
3) will the xDrive enable me to use all-season tires as opposed to switching between summer & winter?

...
Agreed... I just never owned a 4x4 and was wondering if with the xDrive you could get away with all-season tires during winter
Thx

My wife drives a Subaru - when we got it I thought we could just drive it on all seasons year round instead of switching summers/winters like I do on the BMW. After the first drive in the snow, it became very apparent that for acceleration, the 4x4is great, but braking was terrible compared to the BMW with snow tires. That is a VERY dangerous combination, the car feels like it has a lot more traction when you get going, gives you a lot of confidence, and the first stop sign i came to, I pretty much blasted right through... because the stopping distance is so much longer than on a car with winters. So I immediately put snows on the Subaru as well. May be fine on all seasons if that's all you drive, but when switching back and forth between cars, the 4x4 Subaru seemed like an accident waiting to happen compared to the BMW on snows, which was slow to get going but easy to stop.